'THE WALKING DEAD' (AMC) Season 1

AMC

The series: Pulling more than double the average ratings for a "Mad Men" episode and hitting 6 million viewers for its season finale, this bleak, gory vision of a zombie-ridden world has been a ratings rocket for AMC — and critical support has generally followed suit. It seems zombies are the new vampires for Globe voters. But with only six episodes in Season 1 and a cast that's more serviceable than stellar, can this newcomer walk off with a win? The critical take: "People ignore genre at their peril. It's a really well-done show with a huge appeal. Will it win? Probably not. But for it to be included, and have the clips shown to people who feel they're above watching a zombie show, will give it more credibility."

The series: Pulling more than double the average ratings for a "Mad Men" episode and hitting 6 million viewers for its season finale, this bleak, gory vision of a zombie-ridden world has been a ratings rocket for AMC — and critical support has generally followed suit. It seems zombies are the new vampires for Globe voters. But with only six episodes in Season 1 and a cast that's more serviceable than stellar, can this newcomer walk off with a win? The critical take: "People ignore genre at their peril. It's a really well-done show with a huge appeal. Will it win? Probably not. But for it to be included, and have the clips shown to people who feel they're above watching a zombie show, will give it more credibility."